Private rentals in Seattle...any opinions?
 

TripAdvisor has a list of private individuals and companies rental (like condo/ studios) for rent. mainly 1,2,3 days. Reviews look O.K. but i guess I am hesitant to try..
I love Seattle, well acquainted with downtown and most hotels...i just cannot afford most downtown hotels and Space Needle/Queen Anne area not my favorite.
Anyone had experience with this site?

If you are solo, check the HI Hostel (former American hotel).
It's a place to sleep with an available kitchen if you want to cook at least breakfast.
It's within walking distance of the Amtrak station and the football stadium.

A private rental means any contract exists between you and the owner of the property. Third party listing sites like VRBO, AirBnB, etc. NEVER take any responsibility for the listing. What that means is any risk incurred is incurred by YOU.

While there are countless legitimate rentals out there, there are also some that are not legitimate and that misrepresent a property in one way or another.

For example, the photos may bear no relation to what you find on arrival. On arrival you may find that the property you have already paid for doesn't even exist and you have been scammed. Some rentals are illegal for periods under 30 days in many cities.

Bottom line, there is no point in asking if "Anyone had experience with this site?" That will tell you nothing about any individual property.

You can find plenty of info by Googling something like vacation rental risks. VRBO, one of the largest listing sites provides their own info on how to protect yourself.

http://www.vrbo.com/global/protect_yourself.htm

Read it and then ask yourself how many people you think actually follow what they suggest. It's laughable but it does make it clear the risk is your risk, not theirs. Note they will also happily sell you insurance against the property not being ad advertised.

I should have added that many people rent successfully traveler24 and I am not trying to suggest you cannot. What I am saying is you have to be willing to accept any risk and use caution when choosing a place to rent. Do not think the listing site is doing any due diligence, they are not. That's your job.

In this month's Conde Nast Traveler magazine there's an article about a less-than-satisfied user of an apartment rental on TripAdvisor. You may want to have a look:

http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-trav...cation-rentals

In the same piece they recommend, instead, "using sites such as Airbnb". I'm a satisfied user of that site and can recommend it personally. https://www.airbnb.com/

In response to dulciusexasperis' contention that no 3rd party rental site takes responsibility for the listings, it's just not true. My only experience is with the one I mentioned above, Airbnb, and you'll find information on the site regarding help they give if the rental is not as advertised. Look on the site for the guarantees.

This, from the Conde Nast Traveler article: "Ombudsman recommends using sites such as Airbnb, which offers more protection and covers the condition and cleanliness of the property."

Yes, you do take a risk with rentals, but there are some things you can do to minimize the risk. Make sure rentals on VRBO have several legitimate reviews with the listing and that the reviews are very good. Also, talk to the owner over the phone, ask questions and get a feel for what it is like to deal with that person. Make sure you get an address so you know the property is where you want to be and not in an undesirable location. Choose a property that allows you to pay with a credit card, because if something goes really wrong, you can contact your credit card company and have them battle on your behalf to get a refund. I have rented many properties through both agencies and VRBO; only three of turned out to be disappointing in some way (two because of upkeep of the property and one because it was located on a very busy corner, which I would have known if I had asked more questions and looked up the address). To balance those out, we have had some really great rentals that exceeded our expectations.

I would say that renting for just 2 or 3 days is sometimes not worth it, because it does require more homework, paperwork and attention than staying in a hotel, and you are responsible for the property while it is in your hands.

Don't be afraid to try a vacation rental, but do so with care.

I would also point out renting through VRBO is much like renting a traditional hotel room. You takes your chance plain and simple. The hand wringing about private rentals is just plain paranoia.

Mme Perdu, there are issues with all 3rd party rental sites including AirBnB. https://www.google.ca/#q=airbnb+horror+stories

As I wrote, many rentals are legit but there is simply no guarantee that any given one is. That means the onus is on the person looking at renting, to do their due diligence. Risk exists to a far greater degree than say booking a room with Hilton.

One point I would suggest anyone planning to rent through a third party agency keep in mind is simple. Ask yourself who the customer of the third party is. Is it you or is it the person paying a fee to list their property on the site? The answer of course is it is the person paying to list. YOU are not the customer. So ask yourself who the third party will favour in any dispute.

If I rent from Hilton then I am Hilton's customer and can expect them to treat me as such. If I rent from an individual then I am that individual's customer and can look to them to treat me as their customer. What I can't expect is a third party listing site to treat me as a customer.

Traveler24 in his question here is asking about experience with a third party site. It implies he thinks that if they are a reputable site, the property he rents from an individual will be as advertised. Not necessarily so. One has nothing to do with the other.

I should have also noted that Seattle does have laws that restrict rentals and that is where traveller24 is talking about here.

So are you going to advise him to rent illegally MmmePerdu?

Here is a list of wonderful AirBnB properties in the Seattle area. Scroll down to the bottom where someone has clearly checked them all out to determine if any of them are legal rentals.
http://seattle.curbed.com/archives/2...les-airbnb.php
None of them appear to have been legal rentals at the time of the writing in 201l.

"So are you going to advise him to rent illegally MmmePerdu?"

I'd advise him to do his research, as we all must anywhere, and not take anyone's word here as fact, neither mine nor yours nor Google's for that matter. Half truths and downright lies abound and no endeavor is without an element of chance. The trick is reduce that element of chance to one we can live with.

Agreed. I'd advise him to research the legality of the property being rented though and that's something often not mentioned.

Where is your rental property located MmePerdu? Is it legal there?

It's on my profile page, dulciusexasperis. And yes, quite legal.

Then that would make you one of a very few MmePerdu.

It means you have made sure your property meets with the legal building code requirements for a rental; have insurance that covers you for operating a business in your home and covers your guests and their belongings; you pay the hotel taxes that are applicable in your area; you declare the income as taxable income.

One of a very few indeed.

http://business.time.com/2013/06/15/...economy-taxes/

Now can you tell me how I would go about insuring that you are indeed operating a legal rental given all of the above MmePerdu. Would you e-mail me copies of relevant documents?

How else would you suggest I do my due diligence if thinking of renting from you?

You wrote, "I'd advise him to do his research, as we all must anywhere, and not take anyone's word here as fact, neither mine nor yours nor Google's for that matter. Half truths and downright lies abound and no endeavor is without an element of chance. The trick is reduce that element of chance to one we can live with."

What I would like to know is exactly how you suggest doing that research?

Dulciusexasperis, since with Airbnb I always have the option of declining a request for a room in my home, I'd simply tell you to go bother someone else. That would be the answer from my point of view. Some people, I've learned from decades of having my own business, are just more trouble than they're worth. The secret to peace of mind is learning which you are.

Regarding the research, I wouldn't suggest anything as grown-ups usually can figure out themselves what they need to do. If not, staying home is a safe option.

What you are really saying MmePerdu is that you will not answer the questions.

What are we to presume from that? That you cannot provide a practical way for the OP to determine if someone is running a legal rental?

And what are we to presume regarding your sudden definsiveness regarding your own rental? That you are in fact not running a legal rental?

No, what I'm saying is, d., your questions don't interest me and, I suspect, not many others. You may presume nothing at all beyond boredom.

Why is it so important to you to make me wrong? A rhetorical question as the object is apparently to win, truth irrelevant.

I have rented dozens of vacation rentals in the US , the carribean and Europe. I would not do it for just a few days, especially if there is a cleaning fee.
I always call the owner and have quite an extended conversation and usually ask for references beyond reviews on the site.
I don't like airbnb as much as home away or vrbo, personally, so I don't use them.

<your questions don't interest me and, I suspect, not many others.>

Bookmarking so I don't miss the answers.